We know there’s nothing in the repertoire of Hanukkah treats that calls for either white chocolate or green tea, but here’s the thing: we had matcha white chocolate on the brain. On Dan’s latest trip to Japan, he brought back an amazing, never-before-seen-in-New York treat: green tea kit kats. And, a package of beautiful, earthy, matcha powder. And, we had a Hanukkah party coming up. And, we’ve never had gelt that we felt was really good.

So it was obvious. We’d have to make some gelt, Japan style. (We made some spicy chocolate, too, for the naysayers.)

Making molded chocolate is fun, easy and oh-so-impressive. All you need is really good chocolate and a few candy molds. (If you’re trying to make a lot of chocolate, worth getting a few molds so you can make more at a time.) If you want to get fancy, get some colored foil, too.

gelt.

You’ll need:

• High quality chocolate. (For dark chocolate, opt for 70% cacao if possible.)
• Flavorings–such as matcha, cinnamon, chili powder, kosher salt etc. (Optional, but go wild!)
• Chocolate molds.

To calculate how much chocolate you need: Measure the chocolate mold cavity. Multiply Length x Width x Depth x . 708 = Number of oz. of chocolate you need for each cavity. In my case, this came out to .5oz chocolate per cavity. Since there are 16oz in a pound of chocolate, I could get 32 pieces out of a pound of chocolate. 

1. Prepare your molds by washing them in warm soapy water, and drying them thoroughly.

2. Finely chop your chocolate.

3. Melt chocolate in a double boiler until it’s 3/4 of the way melted. Remove from the heat and stir until fully melted, allowing the heat of the chocolate to finish melting the stubborn bits. {NB: If you don’t have a double boiler, set a small pot within a larger pot of simmering water. If the smaller pot slips or isn’t resting well on the lip of the larger pot, make a fat donut out of aluminum foil and set the smaller pot on this. Be careful of water boiling up and getting into your chocolate.}

Note: if you want shiny dark chocolate gelt at room temperature, best to temper it properly. David Lebovitz has lots to say on the matter, and clear instructions. (It’s not that necessary if you’re wrapping your gelt, IMO.)

4. If adding flavorings, do it now*. To a pound of white chocolate, we add 3 tablespoons of matcha powder. To a pound of dark chocolate, we add a tablespoon of cinnamon and a teaspoon of chili powder. Always a good idea to start with less and taste and adjust.

*Don’t add salt to the chocolate in this step. Instead, sprinkle kosher or another coarse salt to each individual chocolate once poured.

5. Pour chocolate into molds. A spoon works best, so you can more easily control how much you’re filling the cavity.  Fill each cavity to the top, or 3/4 of the way, depending on how thick you want your finished gelt. Once all cavities in a mold are filled, hold the mold firmly, and rap it against a tabletop a few times to release any air pockets or bubbles. If adding salt, sprinkle a few grains onto each piece of gelt now.

6. Freeze molds for at least 20 minutes, until the chocolate is very firm. (You can also chill in the refrigerator, but note it will take upwards of an hour to set.) Test one chocolate–it should be firm to the touch and pop out of the mold easily. If not, chill longer.

7. One the chocolate is set, flip the mold over and gently pop out each chocolate, using both thumbs to press down on the sides of the gelt to loosen it.

NOTE: If you run out of molds, and your chocolate hardens while waiting for some to free up, simply re melt the chocolate in a double boiler when you’re ready to do the next round. Wash and dry your molds in between use.

8. Wrap each piece of chocolate in foil and refrigerate, You can eat them cold out of the fridge, or let them come up to room temperature before serving. (The green tea flavor will be more pronounced in the white chocolate at room temperature.)